Going Sticker Hunting in GetGlue

I know I've been late in joining the bandwagon for GetGlue. I noticed it on my Facebook feed months ago and managed to resist the curiosity of checking it out until I've heard recently that you actually get mailed physical copies of the stickers you collect through the site.

For those of you hearing it just the first time, GetGlue.com is a form of social networking site where you get to share interests with friends through pages that you can "like" and collect sticker badges of. The interests cover tv shows, books, movies, artists, games and various topics. When you share interests with friends, you also see what they like and thus enabling you to discover new media to follow and watch. You can share your updates via Twitter, Facebook or on the GetGlue site. You can even set the privacy of your profile so that only the people you approve of can see your updates. You can check-in your interests via the official site or through a phone app.

You can have stickers mailed to you as long as you've collected 20 or more. They are sent free and only in batches of 20. I myself haven't made any requests to be sent the stickers yet. The service is indeed free but the site owners didn't really specify when they would send the stickers, others have reported of going up to three months without any of the requested stickers in sight. At first I read this feedback with dismay but in the end I figured that it's still fun to be hunting and earning the stickers myself, getting the physical copies is just an added bonus. It's very tempting to just check-in everything just for the stickers but that takes the fun out of it. Earning the sticker badges more or less depend on your honor system.

So for now, I'm still happily unlocking stickers and checking-in. I only choose which GetGlue updates I can show on my social networking feeds so that I won't be spamming anyone and get them annoyed. How about you? Have you given in to social networking sites like this yet?

What to wear in Amusement Parks

It can be expected when you’re inside an amusement park that you can let loose and have fun. One shouldn’t overthink what one should wear, for example I was dressed like this, gray shorts and a coral racer-back tank top with a white tube top underneath and flat open-toed sandals. You won't believe the fashion choices of some of the people who went there. Sure I understand that they must have the need to feel fashionable but with what they wore, it took out the fun. When going inside amusement parks, the most important thing you should have in mind is to have fun while still looking good and comfortable. So with that said, here's my fashion do's and don'ts when it comes to amusement park fashion.

DON'T 
1. Don't wear a dress, even a summer dress at that (The same goes for short skirts and minis too). The lady that I saw even wore a long one. I just couldn't help shaking my head when I saw her. You wouldn't want to be bothered by your skirt going up when you're high up in the air in an amusement ride.

2. Don't wear expensive jewelry. These have a tendency to fall off. You can still accessorize with non-expensive trinkets.

3. Don't bring a bag that has no zippers. You'll be having too much fun to mind your belongings. Pick-pockets will get too tempted if your bag has an open top. If they do let you take your bag with you on a ride, you also don't want to have its contents falling out.

4. Don't bring unnecessary expensive gadgets that you don't need. You can bring a camera but you don't need to bring your tablet, your notebook computer or even your favorite music player. Amusement parks provide plenty of entertainment and loud music for you to need these stuff.

5. Don't wear heels. I also saw a lady wearing one in the park. Remember that you're going to do a lot of walking to and fro the park's attractions, the most that you can walk in those heels would be four hours before feeling any pain. Don't strain your back and feet just so that you can be a little taller or your legs look longer.

DO 
1. Wear sunscreen or sunblock. Sunburn at the end of the day will spoil any fun memories at the park. You also don't want a reddish face showing up in those pictures do you?

2. Bring a hat. You don't need to bring an umbrella with you, a hat will do just fine. Not only does it look fashionable, it helps protect your face from sunburn as well.

3. Bring your favorite pair of shades. Just remember to bring the eyeglass case too for when you need to stow it away in time for a ride.

4. Wear comfy sandals or sneakers. If you know that the rides will get you wet, don't wear embellished sandals and remember to bring extra socks for your sneakers.

5. Wear a fitting top. Some rides toss you upside down or have you hanging up in the air. Although you'll be strapped in a harness, you don't want an embarrassing slip. So try to veer away from super loose tops.

6. Bring a cologne. You'll be sweating a lot and by the end of the day, you don't want to be smelling bad. A spritz of your favorite cologne will freshen you right up.

7. Bring a face towel. When in fact you do get wet on a park ride, this is so you can towel yourself dry. You don't have to walk around like a wet fish.

With these in mind, you can now let loose and have fun. You can look good in pictures and you wouldn't have to worry about committing a fashion faux pas. Here are some ensembles you can wear:

amusement park gear by chercabula featuring wet seal shoes

amusement park gear 2 by chercabula featuring a straw hat

amusement park gear 3 by chercabula featuring a striped tank

What's your reader profile?

I did this just for fun to keep myself awake during lunch break. The questions are related to some popular titles but are not hard to answer.

Here are my results:

True enough. I am among 15% of the total readers who took the quiz. This is why I frequent sites like GoodReads so that I’m sure to buy only the books that are worth reading.

Do you want to find out what your profile is? [QUIZ LINK]

Paige Bradley's Expansion

At first glance, I really thought that the fissures on the statue was some trick done by Photoshop. Then looking at the feature article I learned that this was intentional. The cracks are really lit from the inside. The additional detail gave it such a dramatic effect that one can just feel the impact of this sculpture by Paige Bradley.

Here's a description of the artpiece by Paige:

From the moment we are born,
the world tends to have a
container already built for us
to fit inside: A social security
number, a gender, a race,
a profession or an I.Q. I ponder
if we are more defined by the
container we are in, rather than
what we are inside. Would we
recognize ourselves if we could
expand beyond our bodies?
Would we still be able to exist
if we were authentically
'un-contained'?

An Assortment of Interesting Stuff

Before starting my work day and having been able to beat the traffic this morning, here are some things that I’ve found online that has kept me amused for the past minutes.

Brocolli House

This is the result of a certain Mr. Brock Davis venting out frustrations of not being able to build a real tree house for his son and resolved to make a model one instead – made of broccoli and balsa wood.

Angry Birds Card Game

Looks like the Angry Birds franchise is not showing any signs of slowing down even though people may “slightly” be getting sick of seeing them everywhere. Recently they’ve just offered updates for Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons, now they’re bringing the game to the tangible world. This is for cases when you’ve forgotten to charge your smartphones.

Converse Green Lantern Sneakers

 

It looks good actually. This is something that Green Lantern fans would surely like to have and something I wouldn’t mind wearing as well. That green on black looks pretty good.

iPhone Sushi Case

Although I don’t own an iPhone, this case looks cute at first glance and kinda makes me crave for sushi too. I just hope those sushi pieces are glued/sewed on strong enough so that it won’t come off easily. It’d be a shame if it does.

Mr. Bump Alarm Clock

Now this might be the alarm clock that I need. Mr. Bump looks cute and miserable right? Well the only way to turn off the alarm on this clock is to toss it against a wall. So if in waking you need to vent out your frustrations early, Mr. Bump encourages you to do so.

Dark of the Moon

The third installment for the Transformers movie series will open in theaters this week with Shia LaBeouf heading the pack. I think moviegoers will most likely be curious about Shia’s new leading lady, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replacing Megan Fox.

The Autobots will again be tasked to save planet Earth from impending doom when a mysterious event from the Earth’s past threatens to bring war to the planet but this time they will be incapable of doing so without help.

There’s a new leading lady, let’s see if she’ll charm the audience as well.

The movie opens officially in the Philippines on June 29th.

Meet the Hunger Games Cast (now complete)

If you’ve read the books then you also share my excitement over the upcoming movie as an adaptation of The Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins. Now there may have been surprising castings here and fans may or may not agree but for now we’ll just have to wait and see how they will play out their roles in the movie. [Source EW.com]

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen

Based from seeing her in X-men First Class as young Mystique, I’m guessing she lost a lot of weight for her role as Katniss and they dyed her hair too. At first I was doubtful but after seeing the first teaser pictures, she’s now looking good for the part. I have a hunch she’ll channel the inner lioness in Katniss pretty well too.

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark

His casting was met with a lot of questions from fans of the series but hey let’s wait on how he interprets Peeta. I’ve only watched him in Bridge to Terabithia and he seems too animated to play as the timid baker’s son. Let’s hope he does Peeta justice.

Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne

The brother of the hunkalicious Thor was actually my pick for Peeta since I thought it would suit him more but surprisingly he got cast as Gale. My interpretation of Gale was a dark-haired guy with intense piercing eyes, Liam’s eyes are too kind I think.

Donald Sutherland as President Snow

I’ve imagined President Snow as someone more sinister looking President Snow but Mr. Sutherland would seem fit for the job.

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna

Cinna happens to be one of my favorite characters in the book and I had several actors in mind who I think really were going to portray him beautifully in the movie but when I saw Lenny cast as Cinna, I really shook my head. Honestly I don’t see him as Cinna at all but he might have done well in the auditions to convince the director so what the hell. He better not botch the job up.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy

Now this was an interesting choice. I think Woody is perfect as Haymitch although I didn’t consider him in my forecast before. Haymitch will play as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor during the hunger games and he has a vital role in shaping up both the lead characters’ strengths and morale.

Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith and Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman

Both play minor characters in the movie, we’ll just mostly see them in the arena as the announcer and the interviewer of the champions.

Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen and Willow Shields as Primrose Everdeen

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket and Amandla Stenberg as Rue

The other District Champions

From left:

Isabelle Fuhrman (Clove), Alexander Ludwig (Cato), Kalia Prescott (District 3’s female tribute),

Ian Nelson (District 3’s male tribute), Leven Rambin (Glimmer), Jackie Emerson (Foxface),

Dayo Okeniyi (Thresh), Jack Quaid (Marvel)

Other minor characters can be seen on THIS PAGE.

Technorati Tags: The Hunger Games movie,Hunger Games cast,Suzanne Collins

Dunnies of a Different Kind

For those of you who don’t know but have most probably seen these around on the internet or in shops, a Dunny is a designer vinyl toy distributed by Kidrobot and was created by Paul Budnitz and Tristan Eaton. You can recognize it easily by it’s slightly large almost oval head with protruding bunny ears and shortened tubular body. The term “dunny” is a combination of the words “Devil Bunny”. I’ve seen a bunch of these toys during my trek to the Toycon a week ago (post coming soon).

I discovered the site of this architect and model-maker named Michal Miszta and I’m just blown-away by the stuff he creates. He has a lot of custom toys featured in his site – themodelmaker but for this post, I’m going to feature his custom Dunnies. Take a look:

Agents Scully and Fox

Inspired by Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

The Big Bag Theory Gang with the exception of Sheldon which is a vinylmation figure.

An Epic Ending due for The Deathly Hallows pt. 2

With the announcement of what Pottermore will be, the anticipation for the final movie is building up into a frenzy. I have seen the trailers (if you haven’t seen the trailer you can see it HERE) and with just clips of the battle scenes there, it feels like it's going to be a glorious ending. Let's hope it's very deserving for a series that has swept the entire world.

When the poster for the movie came out, it had no title. I think it's a statement in itself. A poster for a movie that is so big that it only has to show the characters and people instantly know what it is. Really epic.

Here's me sharing an infographic on the Harry Potter series that I've found on the net.  Look forward to more Harry Potter related posts in the days to come.

Just click on the picture for a bigger view.

Cubix Dog Mansion

If you have extra cash to burn and is willing to splurge, why not get a nice dog house for your pet? I’m not just talking of a traditional doghouse…I mean THIS doghouse:

Looks good doesn’t it? Your favorite canine companion can even have a sleep over! Seriously though, I totally dig the contemporary design of the dog house. The fixed glass allows light and gives your pet a clear view of his surroundings so that he won’t be totally boxed in. I’m just a little bit concerned with how you’ll clean it though. I hope there’s another way than crawling through the portal yourself. The Cubix is made of varnished wood and shatter-proof window glass and is said to be strong enough to withstand the elements.

Pottermore Update, Site Revealed

Just when you think everything in the wizarding world of Harry Potter is over when the second part of the Deathly Hallows movie comes out, J.K. Rowling thinks up of something more amazing for her fans and readers. Just a few days ago, I blogged about Pottermore with a screenshot of the site not really knowing what it is. Well last night, the site revealed a much more interesting splash page with a video of J.K. Rowling what the site will be all about.

Here’s the video:

So in reality, Pottermore will really be up on October with a few lucky ones getting beta invites to test it out first. J.K. Rowling promises it to be a site which will provide a unique reading experience to the reader. From what I understood, I think it will be like a “choose your own adventure” kind of reading. She will also share exclusive audiobooks and e-books on the site for purchase plus some Harry Potter lore that she has been cooking up all these years.

Think this is enough to get HP fans excited? I think so. Just this morning when I checked the site again to take a screencap, they’ve already reached a point where they’re having problems with the email sign-ups for the beta testers. Now I’m silently pinching myself for being too sleepy last night to put my email address in.

Technorati Tags: Pottermore,J.K. Rowling,Harry Potter

Quirky Desk Organizer

I don't like my desk cluttered. So as much as possible I practice my organizational skills on it. I can't exactly focus with a messy desk. I have a soft spot for organizer bins, designer boxes and the like. Much more so when I saw this over at Gizmodiva. The novelty is quite charming.

The Butt Station Desk Organizer is about 2.5” w x 6” h x 5.75” d and costs about $18 on this site. It's a combination pen holder, tape dispenser and post-it/business card holder too.

Zombified Muppets

Months ago, I published a post about the zombified versions of the Simpsons and so I'm delighted to find these works by Evan Cheng. This time around they're zombified Muppets. I really can't explain my fascination with zombies nowadays. You gotta admit though that these look kinda cute even in a grotesque way.

Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages

They say we haven't seen Tom Cruise let loose like this before. He'll be channeling the likes of Axl Rose, Keith Richards and Bret Michaels. Rock of Ages is actually a movie based from a concept from Tom Cruise himself. After performing with his wife Katie Holmes at a charity event, he seemed fit for the part.

So we'll see the biggest rock god played by the biggest movie star in the world. There's no denying that he is. Tom Cruise will belt out the songs Wanted: Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi, Rock You Like a Hurricane by the Scorpions and Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. He'll also be showing off some fancy footwork on-screen.

Let's see if Mr. Cruise doesn't disappoint.

The prettiest Google Doodle yet

Google's homepage now sports a summer solstice doodle and it shows bright colors, a happy stylized summer sun and cute open-mouthed characters. I think it's the prettiest yet.

Unusual Deep-Fried Food

Looking at my Yahoo homepage today, I noticed that the trending topic was “deep fried Kool-Aid”. So of course I wondered what they were. It turns out that it’s just what the name says, Kool-Aid that has been deep fried. Someone eventually thought of it. It’s made of water, flour and some Kool-Aid rolled into balls then dunk into a hot bath of cooking oil. The result looks like this:

The concoction was introduced at the San Diego County Fair and was apparently loved by the people. It was the brainchild of “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian.

The unusual fried food prompted a search for some of the food stuff that people deep fry and my search has turned up some very interesting results. Maybe at one point, I’d even try making one of these for myself.

Deep Fried Butter

Just the thought of the butter trapped within that crust is making me cringe. Hello cholesterolville! I can only imagine how this would taste like, or just how many calories these contain. Maybe the Epic Meal Time dudes can use this for their meals too! [RECIPE]

Deep Fried Nutella

Now we’re talking. This is more up to my palette. I love spreading nutella on a banana or on toasted bread. I just didn’t think that it could also be fried!

Deep Fried Mayonnaise

Another thing that I didn’t think they could fry. See in the picture? It looked very appetizing right? [RECIPE]

Deep Fried Mars Bar

This made me remember the Mars bar that I was devouring the other night after dinner. Yes someone also thought to cover it in batter and deep fry it. [RECIPE]

***

Can you think of any other unusual deep fried food? If you do, please do share it with me and my readers.

Assassin's Creed Revelations trailer in Lego

I love it when gamers with an excess of creativity take loving a video game so much to an extra level. Youtube user namwwe24 did just that. He loved Assassin's Creed so much that he created this trailer using his favorite Lego toys.

 

Mr. Popper's Penguins Movie Review

I have fallen for the charms of the Gentoo penguins in the film. The film loosely took inspiration from the children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater of the same title. Although it was not set during Christmas, the movie has such a festive feel that it would have been a good fit if shown during the holidays. Jim Carrey and the penguins were the star attractions of the show. I loved that Jim Carrey's performance here was not the over-the-top comedic technique that he showed during his Ace Ventura years, his style has then matured and has gotten more subdued during the past years. He's still every bit as funny and this is the style I prefer.

In a nutshell, Mr. Popper's Penguins is all about Mr. Poppers who is a ruthless real estate agent set out on a task to obtain a private property in Central Park. Growing up without a father figure, he became a bitter and unfeeling adult. He's separated from his wife and is given the chance to bond with his kids on alternate weekends only and no matter how much he reaches out, he can never get through to them. Until he got live penguins at the passing of his father. His son mistook them to be his birthday gift and as a result, Mr. Popper had to keep them. The penguins in a way brought his family back together. When the penguins took over his life, he began to forget his other life. Soon he has to choose between his family and his career. His choice is what makes this movie heartwarming to watch.

True that the Gentoo penguins almost stole the show. Their adorable and highly intelligent antics will tug at your heart and make you go "aaaaw" with their undeniable cuteness. What's fun for me is that they're not JUST penguins who will steal your heart away, they each have personalities of their own. The story may not be too deep but for a family movie catering to a young audience, this is a likely candidate to give members of your family warm feel good feelings as soon as the movie is over.

The most important lesson learned in this film would probably be that "Money isn't everything". Mr. Popper is at the peak of his career and is in the process of being promoted as one of the partners but he lives alone in a huge apartment with no one to share his success to. The only time he became truly happy was when he was spending time with his family and the penguins. It was a hard lesson and it took a life turned upside down by penguins to make him see that.

Mr. Popper's Penguins is a good family movie where both kids and adults can share in fits of laughter at the comedic antics and a heartwarming story. Catch it now in cinemas near you.

Awesome Mario Chucks

Converse will be making a lot of Super Mario fans happy with the release of their Super Mario Chuck Taylor All-Stars series sometime in July. Take a look at these designs:

It looks like they paid attention to detail too: